


The Librarians in a Collection of Ficlets

by meridian_rose (meridianrose)



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Bureaucracy, Community: writerverse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Flash Fic, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Magical Artifacts, Multiple Pairings, Northern Lights, Painting, Puns & Word Play, Romance, Roses, Unrequited Love, book titles, works by da vinci
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-23
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-04-23 01:33:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4858142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meridianrose/pseuds/meridian_rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ficlets featuring various characters and pairings (gen fic included), some humorous, some more serious, some romantic.  Chapter titles give characters/pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bureaucracy -  Eve & Jenkins (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve is having problems with bureaucracy and Jenkins is of little assistance. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompt (Catch-22 Joseph Heller)

Eve took a deep breath, calling on every ounce of her training to keep her temper. "So what you're saying, Jenkins, is that I have to fill in form thirty, sections a through m."

Jenkins eyed her warily. "Yes."

"But," Eve said, pointing one finger at him, "section c requires that I have previously completed form eighty one."

Jenkins nodded and took a small step back, clutching at his tea cup. "Yes. That is as I explained it."

Eve gave a too bright smile. "Which I understood. And I was willing to do. Except for the small matter that form eighty one requires that I have previously filed form three with you."

"Which you have not," Jenkins said, though with the air of a man who knew this was going to rebound on him.

Eve nodded enthusiastically. "Because," she said, "form three requires that I provide three forms of identification – which I did – provide a lock of hair – which I don't even want to know why, but I complied – and a copy of completed form one and," and here she gave a laugh with just an edge of hysteria, "a copy of completed form thirty!"

Jenkins stared at her in the tense silence that followed.

"You do see the problem here, don't you?" Eve asked desperately.

Jenkins shrugged. "I do not make the rules."

"Then who does? Who can I appeal to?"

Jenkins sidestepped and pulled open a drawer. "Appeal? That's simple. He threw an inch thick wad of paper onto the desk. "Simply fill in form forty four."

Eve gave a strangled scream.


	2. To Isengard - Ezekiel, Cassandra, Jake (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magical jewellery, folktales, and fandom. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompts (Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien)

"Seriously," Stone grunted as he leaned hard on the shears. "How do you not know better than to put on magical jewellery?"

Ezekiel gave a sigh of relief as the blades cut through the wire holding the bracelet in place, succeeding where two pairs of scissors, a penknife, and an actual wire cutter had not. Coloured beads spilled onto the floor and the librarians began hunting them, though Jenkins took possession of the – had to be magical – shears and went to put them away.

"You know that story about the skeleton's ring?" Cassandra asked, crawling about hunting for beads. "I've never dared wear antique jewellery since. Not even a necklace, though it's mostly rings that are magical or cursed, I think."

Ezekiel's face lit up. "Like in _Lord of the Rings_?"

Stone reached under Eve's desk for a green bead. "Yeah, that's all we'd need, you with the One Ring, turning invisible and whispering 'my precious' to yourself."

Ezekiel sat back on his heels, several beads clutched in one hand. "I love that movie. My favourite thing though is this." With his free hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With a few taps he pulled up a fanvid. Cassandra came over to watch and Stone observed from a distance that let him pretend a lack of intetest.

"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard," Legolas cried onscreen, "they're taking the hobbits to Isengard, they're taking the hobbits to Isengard, gard, gard, gard!"

Cassandra giggled, taking the phone from Ezekiel to watch the rest.

Notes: The return from the dead to retrieve a stolen item, be it a bone or a ring, is a common motif in many folktales - http://www.ualberta.ca/~urban/Projects/English/Content/e.htm in particular "E236.1.1. †E236.1.1. _Return from dead to demand ring stolen from corpse._ "  
The video Ezekiel has bookmarked is this one (other versions are available): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE-1RPDqJAY


	3. Appreciation - Cassandra/Ezekiel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra gets emotional while watching the northern lights and Ezekiel offers some comfort. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompts (Northern Lights by Philip Pullman)

"Hey," Ezekiel said, the concern in his tone pulling her back to herself. "Are you okay?"

Cassandra nodded. She wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks with the back of her gloved hand. "Yes. It's just that it's so, so beautiful."

Ezekiel stared up at the sky to see for himself. The northern lights, the aurora borealis, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, boreas the Greek name for the north wind, the –

"It is lovely," Ezekiel said and, with great effort, focussing on the sound of his voice, Cassandra managed to stop her spiralling train of thought. "You know, in the southern hemisphere we have the aurora australis."

She nodded. "I read that somewhere."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "The lights are pretty but they're not the prettiest thing I've ever seen."

Cassandra sighed. "Don't you ever just see something and it touches you so deeply that hurts? Even thought it's a good thing? I don't know. Maybe it's just that I sometimes think it might be the last time I see something this special. I try not to think about it but…"

She tapped at her head. Ezekiel lowered his gaze briefly.

"You're right," he said. "You have to appreciate things." To Cassandra's surprise and delight he took her hand and raised his eyes to the skies once more. "And when we're finished enjoying the spectacle we'll go and raid Jenkin's best cocoa."

Cassandra smiled, warm despite the chill night air.


	4. Enigma - Eve/Jake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stone is somewhat of a mystery but that's okay with Eve. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompt (The Quiet American by Graham Greene)

Sometimes Eve wondered what Stone was thinking about when he got real quiet and seemed to drift off into his own world. It wasn't as if she was a great talker, not the way Jenkins could pontificate for hours, not how Cassandra could babble along in joyful enthusiasm or Ezekiel could use his silver tongue to try and charm his way out of trouble. Still, sometimes she thought Stone was the quietest of them because, as the phrase went, still waters run deep. Stone was, in many ways, still an enigma to her.

That was only half the story of course. Stone had begun to open up as they'd worked together, had begun to share his story. She was glad he felt safe enough to reveal some of his past, that he was becoming more willing to risk being vulnerable with them – with her.

Furthermore, Stone wasn't truly in his own world. He retained a relaxed awareness and could react in an instant if required – as Ezekiel had found when he'd playfully ruffled Stone's hair when walking past, only to find himself gripped by one wrist. Stone had apologised when Ezekiel finally quit yelping, but it had been an impressive demonstration that Eve had taken note of.

The mystery made her want him more; she felt sure though, that uncovering Stone's secrets would bring them even closer together.


	5. A Rose By Any Name - Cassandra/Jake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stone impresses Cassandra with his floral knowledge. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompt (The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco)

"This," Stone said, gesturing to a pale apricot coloured flower with tightly curled petals, as if it were afraid to fully open, "is The Shepherdess." He pointed to a smaller plant. "Those are miniature roses."

Cassandra brushed her fingers against the silky red petal of a fragrant bloom. "What about this one?"

"Hybrid tea rose named, if I'm not mistaken, Crimson Glory."

"How do you know so much about roses?" Cassandra asked, already running through a variety of possibilities in her imagination. Stone temporarily working as a landscaper gardener, Stone helping out a friend at a flower show, Stone in a blue apron running a flower store…that one was unlikely but the fantasy had pressed her buttons in an unsettling way.

Stone ignored the question, bouncing over to another specimen in the beautiful garden. "Come and see this one." It looked similar to the Crimson Glory, but with cherry red petals. 

Cassandra smiled. "It's lovely. You like this one best?"

"It's yours, you know." He grinned. "It's called Cassandra."

She hoped she wasn't blushing. "Oh." Stone kept saying he couldn't trust her, couldn't forgive her betrayal despite understanding her reasons, yet he was still kind to her, protective when he thought it was warranted. Even, sometimes, as now, flirting with her. Or maybe she was mistaken. It wasn't as if she had a lot of experience in flirtation, or dating, or romance. Between her studies, her quirky nature, and her tumour, that aspect of her life had fallen by the wayside.

"I don't suppose there's an Ezekiel rose is there?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"God, I hope not," Stone said and Cassandra laughed out loud.


	6. A Not So Secret Affair - Eve/Flynn, unrequited Jake/Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve is secretly dating Flynn but Stone is starting to suspect. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompt (Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos De Laclos)

Eve knew she probably ought not to have got involved with her Librarian. She was his Guardian, she ought to only thinking of protecting his body, not loving it! Yet Flynn pushed all her buttons, physically, emotionally, sexually. He was equal parts endearing and infuriating, and Eve did so love variety, appreciated a challenge, was enraptured by the spark between them.

The secrecy had seemed prudent at first, and if she was honest, Eve found it added to the excitement to carry on a romance that no-one else knew of.

She thought they'd done well to keep their affair quiet, but then one day she saw Stone look at her one day with a pained expression before turning his attention to Flynn, his fist clenching almost without his being aware of it. If Stone didn't know, he strongly suspected.

Eve acknowledged that Stone had feelings for her, feelings she could not truthfully return. It was wrong to let him wonder if he had a chance with her. That night she told Flynn that they needed to come clean and tell the others. No more skulking about the bookshelves. No more secret liaisons. The truth might hurt but honesty was better than leaving Stone in the dark.


	7. The Last Temptation of Who? - Ezekiel, Jenkins (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenkins shows Ezekiel a rather unusual painting. Humour, pun. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompt (The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis)

Ezekiel stared at the painting. Jenkins chuckled. It wasn't often he got to witness Ezekiel speechless.

"You see," Jenkins went on, "the would-be forger lacked the talent to create their idea of a masterpiece. They had a notion of presenting the picture to the public as a lost Leonardo da Vinci piece; _The Adoration of the Magi, The Virgin and Child with St Anne, The Last Supper_. Why not _The Last Temptation of Christ_? Personally I would have chosen a known but lost work, such as his _Adam and Eve_ , but then I would not have used the magical brush that way in the first place."

Ezekiel was awed by the artwork – a Leonardo in style, if not in content. "How does the brush work?"

"It needs to be filled with black ink, and the artist and the title of the painting to be rendered is to be inscribed upon the canvas. The brush will then fill the canvas with a work in the style of the artist named, matching the title – or the best approximation thereof, in the case of a fictional work."

"So what went wrong?" Ezekiel asked, staring at the devil who was mocking a prostrate Columbus.

Jenkins stifled a giggle. "An x-ray has confirmed that the forger did not plan ahead. They wrote Leonardo da Vinci but the ink ran out before the title could be completed. And thus what we see here is _The Last Temptation of Chris_."


	8. Library Maintenance - team, Cassandra POV (gen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a cleaning session comes their just rewards. For a writerverse challenge, book title prompt (Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami)

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the quiet times. It wasn't that she so enjoyed having to fight for her life on a weekly basis that she couldn't wait to go out and do it again (though living with a death sentence had made Cassandra both less afraid of death and more determined to enjoy every second of life so if she could not die right now that would be great thank you). It was true that she enjoyed the adventures. It was also true she enjoyed the relaxation between those times, especially the hanging out with friends – she'd had precious few of those before becoming a Librarian – and the chance to explore the Library.

No, it was merely that Jenkins had decided that, on prolonged downtimes, they all ought to help with the maintenance of the Library. While the building mostly seemed to take care of itself – Eve's constantly resetting desk, for example, suggested the Library could move things at will and that presumably included dust and dirt – Jenkins insisted that certain tasks must be carried out by more mundane means.

Thus Cassandra was carefully dusting the exquisite leather spines of a first edition set of books by an author she'd never heard of, and, Jenkins said, for the sake of the world, no-one must ever read. Ezekiel, convinced this was a punishment of some sort, was sweeping the floor with a dustpan and brush – he'd been downgraded from using the vacuum after he almost knocked over a bust of Zeus. Stone was lovingly polishing an antique rosewood desk with a damp cloth, while Eve was using a special feather duster to clean the globe. (Jenkins had said it was a special duster but Ezekiel had been sceptical and Cassandra privately had her reservations.)

She'd had rather higher expectations of everyday life in the Library but she had to admit that it couldn't all be saving the world before teatime.

Speaking of which, here was Jenkins bearing a tray laden with drinks and a delicious variety of cakes.

If it was punishment to help maintain the Library, Cassandra thought, biting into a doughnut, there was also a decent reward at the end of it. Even Ezekiel looked content. In the tranquillity of the late afternoon, with the faint smell of polish in the air, surrounded by her friends, Cassandra felt a sense of calm of wellbeing that was well worth her earlier efforts.


End file.
